


Discovery

by Yobotica



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, FINALLY YOU GUYS, Fluff, M/M, Pining, it's fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 05:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17115590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yobotica/pseuds/Yobotica
Summary: Written for the Free Day Prompt for Assassin's Creed Fandom Events 2018.Post-Canon AU, completely self-indulgent trope fic: they have to share a bed.





	Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by [Caisar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caisar), whose efforts are so deeply appreciated!

The cabin safe house was exactly what they'd needed. Remote, easily defended, contained a stash of food, weapons, and emergency supplies. 

The only problem, Shaun noted, was the smell. 

"Dibs on the left bedroom," Rebecca called from deeper in the cabin, presumably from said bedroom. 

However, he knew this cabin had only two bedrooms, and no sofa bed. There wasn't even a sofa, actually. 

So now there were two problems with the cabin. 

Desmond came in behind him with the last of their boxes, and frowned at Shaun. "What's wrong?" 

Rebecca entered the room, huge, annoying grin plastered all over her smug face. 

"Oh, Des, check it out, there's a great view from the room you guys will share - it's the master bedroom, and it's fantastic!" 

Desmond glanced at him, but Shaun just sort of shrugged. Desmond would see the problem soon enough. 

They'd only used this cabin once before, and Rebecca had shared the master bedroom - and the queen-sized bed in it - with their partner for the mission, who she might or might not have actually been sleeping with. She was hard to read like that sometimes, and preferred to keep him guessing, because she knew he hated not knowing things. 

He made his way to the kitchen, grabbing the supplies that would go there, and before he began stocking everything, he opened the windows - hopefully, to air out that musty smell. He would have sworn it hadn't been this overbearing last time, except he'd been covered in mud at the time, and his first real memories of this place were from the morning after, since he'd bathed and passed out immediately. 

He heard the sounds of conversation coming from the rear of the cabin, but couldn't hear exactly what was being said. It was... It was rather nice, actually. After everything, even though it was pretty important that they lay low, it would be good to try and relax for a little bit. 

He smiled to himself as he worked, but of course that was a mistake. The moment Rebecca entered the kitchen and saw him smiling, she gave him a sly grin of her own.

"Don't even start," he said, and she laughed. 

"Looks like you already have, but if you don't want my help..." she said with a shrug and raised hand.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. There's two bags by the door - cans and water bottles, will you bring those in?"

Rebecca saluted, and they worked in a nice quiet for a bit. He could feel the need to tease just leaking from her skin, but she didn't say anything. 

"You know, that bed is super cozy. I bet you'll sleep _very_ well," she said, waggling her brows, and Shaun sighed. 

"Shut it," he said, glancing towards the door, but Desmond was nowhere in sight. "I don't want you giving anyone any ideas," he added, and her exaggeratedly innocent pout made him laugh just the tiniest bit. 

She grinned back. "I promise," she said, as solemn as she ever really was. "I'm just saying, it's a good opportunity..." 

Desmond entered at that moment, and smiled. "Good opportunity for what?" he asked, and Shaun sent a glare her way that only made her laugh at him.

"A good opportunity for Shaun to unplug and actually relax for once," she said, because even if she was a giant bully, she also had his back when it counted.

Desmond chuckled, and glanced over at Shaun. "Somehow, I'm not sure I can picture that," he said. "Think you'll be okay? While I'm glad to report that the electricity is steady now, and the generator seems fine, we've also got like, no signal out here." 

Shaun glared even harder at Rebecca, which only made her laugh again. "I'll be fine," he answered. "Bill will update my teams, and someone else will be assigned to assist them in the interim. Shouldn't be more than a few weeks at most. Though..."

"Though...?" Rebecca urged, when the silence had gone on for too long. 

Shaun made an exaggerated sigh. "As much as I hate to say these words, Rebecca's right; relaxing doesn't come easy for me." 

Rebecca cackled, and Desmond smiled at him more kindly than he really deserved. Shaun was glad nobody could hear how hard it made his heart beat, but judging by Rebecca's smarmy expression, she knew anyway. 

He cleared his throat, and gave as casual a shrug as he could manage. "My only consolation is that you will likely suffer along with me." 

"You mean _because_ of you!" Rebecca crowed. She caught the water bottle he threw at her.

Desmond laughed again, and Shaun had to look away, he had to. Desmond cleared his throat before speaking. "You know, before all this, people used to say uh, sharing a bed with me was the best sleep they ever had. Don't worry, I'll even let you be the big spoon," he said, laughing, though his next words were more serious. "At the very least, I won't disturb you; I haven't had a single Bleed since the Nexus. Juno's Bleed from the Temple doesn't count."

Shaun could hear Rebecca's smirk, he didn't need to see it. "Well, maybe you can get Shaun to sleep for once," she murmured, and Shaun would have said something, he really would have, but Desmond laughed again and he just couldn't engage with that right now.

Without his input, the conversation turned to a debate on what a well-rested Shaun was like. He laughed as the suggestions got more and more outlandish, but didn't participate.

He was too busy trying not to imagine what a night like Desmond had described was usually preceded by.

========

Shaun woke up feeling warm and well rested. This wouldn't have been a problem, except all of these things were unexpected.

He hadn't intended to fall asleep. Desmond had asked him to talk about something until he'd fallen asleep, and Shaun had begun talking about his hobby of re-translating ancient languages because of how much of the currently-widespread information of that nature had come from the hands of Templars, and of how many things he'd already confirmed were either altered or deliberately mistranslated, and... Desmond had fallen asleep, and Shaun had been lying in the bed next to him, intending to read his book, only... That clearly hadn't happened.

He'd looked at Desmond a moment and had turned off his light instead. His book lay, untouched, on his nightstand.

He hadn't thought it would work; he usually tossed and turned in bed, and partners made him hyper aware of it, making him even more anxious. But Desmond had shifted slightly, and then the next thing Shaun was aware of was waking up.

The warmth was accompanied by a weight; true to his laughing promise last night, Shaun was basically the big spoon here: Desmond was all but curled up on his chest. He'd almost laughed when Desmond said it, like he was doing Shaun a favour, but he wasn't laughing now. The idea had been funny because Desmond had some inches on him - in all dimensions, mind you, Desmond had apparently kept fit even during the years he'd been in 'hiding', and much of it was muscle - but Shaun wasn't laughing now. He wasn't even sure he could bring himself to look, as he didn't know if he could take the sight that no doubt awaited him.

Either way, Desmond was definitely in his arms now, though this was in no way spooning, as Desmond was clearly facing him, half on top of Shaun as he was. 

Shaun rarely shared his bed with others - in _any_ sense - but even on the few occasions he had, he hadn't slept well with a companion. He'd expected this to be the same, and for them to have to reach a compromise of sorts, likely ending with the two of them trading turns on a bed of blankets on the floor. 

But he felt quite good instead. He felt like he could fall asleep again if he wanted to, but he didn't feel like he needed to. He dared a peek at the world, and felt his heart kick up when he saw Desmond, looking as rested and comfortable as Shaun felt. 

His hair was mussed and flat on one side, sticking up on the other, and his face was slack. Objectively, not the best Desmond had ever looked. But his heart wouldn't stop pounding, and he just... He wanted to touch him; not like they were now, but with intent, and to have it be welcome. Wanted, even. 

Desmond stirred, and Shaun had a short panic about trying to figure out how to not look guilty by the time Desmond woke fully.

Desmond groaned and shifted so he could open one eye at Shaun. "Where's the emergency?" he asked, and Shaun just stared because clearly Desmond hadn't fully taken in their position yet and he did not want to explain his own personal crisis he was still in the middle of. 

Desmond laughed quietly, sleepy smile settling on his lips. "You're panicking because I was right, and you slept well, aren't you?" 

Shaun honestly had no idea what his face did at that question, but Desmond's smile only grew; he made no move to pull away. Didn't even look like he wanted to. 

"You look ridiculous," Shaun settled on saying instead, and Desmond laughed. 

"Like you're one to talk," he snorted, but he did move finally, sliding away from Shaun, who had to focus very hard on not letting his face do anything stupid like indicate he wanted Desmond to stay, wanted him even closer. 

He let Desmond have the bathroom first; it took some time before his heart finally settled enough for him to face the day properly.

========

Shaun stumbled into the kitchen and barely grunted at Rebecca on his way to the coffee machine, which was thankfully finished this morning.

He'd still been sleeping very well, but even at his best, he'd never be described as a morning person. 

Thankfully, Rebecca knew that, and didn't even bother speaking to him until he was sat at the table with a plate and his second cup of coffee. 

"You look like shit, Shaun," she said, laughing, and Shaun grunted. "I thought you were supposed to be getting the best sleep of your life." 

Shaun sighed at that. "I'm sleeping fine," he said, because he _was_. Even if Desmond wasn't sticking around in the morning, Shaun still fell asleep like clockwork right after him. It had been a couple of weeks, and Desmond hadn't complained once about their nighttime chats, yet... He was always gone when Shaun woke up. Either he'd gotten back on a normal sleep schedule, or... 

Well, it didn't matter, and dwelling on it wouldn't help. The only way to know for sure was to ask Desmond and since he wanted to talk about this approximately never, that was a conversation that wasn't going to happen. 

At least not with Desmond, because Rebecca poked his arm gently. "You certainly don' t look like it today," she said. 

Shaun shrugged. "Sleeping and waking are two different things, Rebecca. Unless, of course, you're taking suspicious 'herbal supplements' you bought online. I can see why'd you get confused." 

Rebecca laughed, then narrowed her eyes at him, which meant she hadn't fallen for the diversion, and now knew he was trying to divert her from the topic. 

He started eating faster. He certainly didn't want to have this conversation with Desmond, but he wanted to have it with Rebecca just as much - that is to say, not at all. 

"So what's the deal then?" she asked, voice full of such sympathy he knew she was playing him right back, making him feel like a guilty jerk, and she both knew it was a dick move, and that it would work. He also knew, however, that her concern was also genuine, so unless he wanted to double down on being a dick - and he did not - this was indeed a conversation that was going to happen. 

Desmond wasn't in sight, and Shaun didn't hear the shower running, which meant Desmond was probably outside, checking the cameras or communing with nature, or just enjoying the outside like the maniac he clearly was. 

He sighed, shoulders slumped. "It's nothing, really. I am sleeping well, that's true. Dropping right off just after Desmond, and staying asleep the whole night - as far as I can remember," he said, and despite his attempt to sound confident and cheery about these facts, it fell flat. 

"So what's the problem? You woke up feeling great that first night - I'd never seen you so coherent in the morning. Almost cheery, in fact."

"It might have been the fact that it's the first full night's sleep I'd gotten in months, you know," he said, but Rebecca's arched brow clearly didn't believe him. "I can't even be sure," he said, looking down at his place. "Desmond was still in bed that morning. That's... That was the only thing that was different."

Rebecca's smile turned knowing. "And that made you wake up in a good mood?" 

Shaun glared at her, but shrugged. How could he explain? He'd woken up slowly, but his heart had been racing almost immediately. There was hardly an adjustment period there.

"That's speculation, and I'll have no part in it. It was... I've been sleeping fine, alright? It's fine. Desmond's honestly doing me a favour at this point." 

Rebecca's face softened, and she patted his shoulder. "I'm sure it'll get better," she murmured soothingly, and got up to refill her coffee, finishing off the pot. 

"I just said it's fine," he protested. "Nothing needs to change."

Rebecca just smirked back at him. "Well, I've got a feeling it's going to, anyway."

Well, at the very least, it looked like the conversation was over, and if nothing else, he'd take comfort in that.

========

Shaun woke the next morning feeling overly warm and trapped. It wasn't an uncomfortable sensation, and after the last few weeks, he was loathe to give up this comfort. He shifted, arms registering a weight that he shifted to hold onto before he realised exactly what it was he was attempting to get closer to - or rather, _who_.

He opened his eyes, and yep, there was Desmond, already awake and peering at him with a soft, sleepy grin. Shaun's heart started pounding again at the sight, and Desmond sighed a little, but didn't move away. 

"Good morning Shaun," Desmond said, and Shaun took a moment to clear his throat. His mouth felt disgusting, but Desmond showed no signs of moving, so he swallowed. 

"Good, good morning, Desmond," he replied, and could have slapped himself for how unsteady he sounded, but his arms were currently occupied. He tried shifting, but Desmond didn't work with him, and he stopped trying once he realised Desmond wasn't going to help.

Desmond's grin only grew at his questioning look. "Sleep well?" he asked, and Shaun nodded slowly. 

"Well enough," he said. He felt wrong-footed, like maybe this was still a dream, and he wasn't remembering things he really knew. But... Desmond's weight and warmth felt real enough, and he certainly couldn't wake himself if it was a dream, so... "You?" he asked, because Desmond was just watching him, and he was, well, not uncomfortable exactly, but the silence wasn't sitting well with him. 

"Very well," Desmond said, and Shaun nodded inanely at him because what else could he do? Desmond was acting really strange. 

"Are you... alright? You're acting odd," he said, and Desmond laughed. 

"I'm feeling great, actually. I was wondering about you, since I overheard a very interesting conversation yesterday." 

Shaun felt his face pale, and knew that this close, with Desmond on his chest, there was no way he could possibly miss the stutter in Shaun's heart. "What? Did Rebecca tell you?" he growled, because he would finally do it, he would kill her. 

Desmond laughed again, slow and relaxed, and Shaun wished his stupid heart would stop changing its mind on what it was doing; it was racing again, and he probably looked insane, to Desmond. 

"Nope. I was in the living room the whole time, reading. You walked right past me and everything." 

Shaun just stared at him, because he hadn't, Desmond had been out... Hadn't he? True, Shaun hadn't looked, and maybe in the mornings he was generally in such a beeline for the coffee that he was less than observant, but... Surely he hadn't just... 

"Oh God," he groaned, and Desmond laughed again. "Listen, you don't have to worry about my sleeping habits," he began, but Desmond shook his head. 

"I'm not. I worried I made you uncomfortable. You got spooked by something, just like right now, and I couldn't tell if it was a 'no homo' kind of panic, or if it was a different kind. I'll be honest, I'm kind of hoping for the latter." 

Shaun took a deep breath, tried to force his stupid heart to slow down. "I didn't.. It wasn't... It wasn't panic, " he said weakly. 

"I notice you didn' t say anything about no homo," he murmured, and Shaun sighed. 

"Honestly, that's the worst thing, you shouldn't say that. Besides, I... It definitely wasn't that," he admitted, and though he wanted to, this close he couldn't look away from Desmond. 

Which was lovely, because Desmond's answering smile was honestly something he could look at for a long time and never tire of. His heart started racing all over again, and Desmond smiled, shifting one hand to rest over Shaun's heart. 

"This right here," he said. "I thought it was panic, but it's not, is it?" 

"It wasn't, not really," Shaun replied. "I thought I'd make you uncomfortable, that you'd realise..." He cleared his throat. "Well, that I'm rather into you," he said, as casually as he could, and Desmond smiled that smile again, and shifted closer. 

"Thank God," he murmured. "Me too. I thought you'd realised and were trying to figure out how to let me down without making things awkward." 

It was Shaun's turn to laugh,. "I always make things awkward," he said, and with Desmond this close, he saw it this time, felt it, Desmond's heart kicking up on its own. 

"Shaun, can I-" he began, but Shaun shifted, pushing Desmond off of him somewhat roughly. 

"No, absolutely not, we're brushing our teeth immediately, and then you can finish that question," he said, and Desmond laughed again and followed him dutifully. 

It was honestly the most surreal experience, brushing his teeth next to Desmond with such thick anticipation between them. He might have thought it was in his own head were it not for the fact that Desmond was watching him unabashedly. 

Desmond finished first, which only left him more time to watch Shaun, and the moment he finished, Desmond stepped on close, eyes intent on Shaun, on his mouth. 

"Can I kiss you now?" he asked, and Shaun laughed, and reached for Desmond, pulled him close. 

"Yes, you g-" before he could finish, Desmond's lips were on his, soft and sweet. Desmond relaxed against him, melted closer and drew one hand up to Shaun's neck. 

Which made Shaun melt in turn, and his mouth open on a soft sigh. 

Desmond took that for an invitation, and before Shaun knew what happened, he was pressed against the bathroom wall, Desmond licking into Shaun's mouth like it was the answer to all his prayers, and would be the only chance he'd ever have at this. 

Which was absolutely not the case; hadn't been before and certainly wasn't now.

Shaun had no idea how long they stayed like that. It was so much more than just kissing, but Desmond's hands never wandered below his waist. 

A loudly cleared throat made them pull back from each other, and Shaun couldn't suppress his smile at the sight of Desmond, looking as debauched and confused at stopping as Shaun felt. 

But Rebecca was giving them the biggest, smuggest grin he'd ever seen on her - because of course they hadn't shut the door - and he scoffed and pushed Desmond away gently. 

"No, you don't get to be smug about this, go away," he grumbled at her.

"No, I think I do," she retorted, and Desmond laughed. 

"I'll give it to her. Lord knows she's tried to get me to say something for forever," Desmond murmured at him softly.

Shaun turned to look at him, because the idea that this wasn't new for Desmond either hadn't ever crossed his mind. Desmond gave him a smile that was both happy and a little shy, and Shaun's stupid heart tripped all over itself at the sight. 

He turned to Rebecca. "You're on breakfast duty. We," he said, turning to Desmond, "need to talk." 

"Yeah we do," he replied, sincere and enthusiastic, and reached out for Shaun's hand. 

He absolutely did not blush when he reached out, nor on the short walk to their bedroom. 

No matter what Rebecca said whenever she retold the story.


End file.
